In memory of the recently deceased Elizabeth II, who died on September 8 at the age of 96, mourners left many flowers and Paddington teddy bears at Buckingham Palace, in London parks and outside Windsor Castle. On Saturday, an official announcement was received from Buckingham Palace that all teddy bears, including Paddington, will be donated to children’s charities.
The story of the connection between the queen and Paddington, which is another national treasure of England, began after the release of a short video dedicated to the platinum jubilee (70th anniversary) of the monarch’s stay on the throne. The above video shows a scene of an afternoon tea party of Elizabeth 2 and a cute animated bear cub. The Queen informs Paddington that she also loves marmalade sandwiches and admits that she always carries at least one with her “in reserve”.
On Saturday, representatives of Buckingham Palace and Royal parks announced that all the collected bears will be transferred for professional cleaning before going to the children’s charity Barnardo’s, whose patroness for 30 years was the Queen herself, who in 2016 transferred patronage over the organization to the wife of King Charles 3 Camilla, who is now better known as the Queen Consort.
Lynn Perry, executive director of Barnardo’s commented on Buckingham Palace’s decision as follows:
“We really appreciate that we have a wonderful opportunity to take care of the bears that were left in memory of the queen. We will do everything in our power for them to find new homes where they will delight children who need our support.”
Perry added: “We are very grateful to the Queen for her support. We are extremely grateful to Her Majesty the Queen for her support in raising awareness of the needs of vulnerable children and young people in the UK, for the opportunity to continue our vital services.”
Main Sources: https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2022/10/16/queen-elizabeth-paddington-bears-donated-charity/10517132002/
